Learn how to promote a blog is an essential step in the progression towards monetizing your content and building a real business around your blog. Without a steady stream of readers coming in every day, you'll be left without a fundamental business model. Here are 12 proven ways to promote your blog content and attract readers today.
While I'll be the first to tell you that creating highly impactful and useful content is the most important backbone of a successful blog, the bad news is that even if your content is truly the best in your niche , he will never resist. a chance to reach your readers if you don't learn how to promote your blog and reach those readers first.
In short, without regular readers coming to your blog, it's a bit like shouting into an empty room.
The truth is that many bloggers simply give up soon after started their blog, because they don't see the results they want quickly. However, it is important to start with realistic expectations. Blogging is not a get-rich-quick business. It takes time, consistent work, and a willingness to experiment with proven ways to promote your content.
We have established that before we can make money with your blog, you must have a constant flow of visitors. If you already have the gift ofwrite useful content, the next step is to leverage the right promotional tool and channels that can bring readers to your blog.
To help you do just that, here are my most effective and proven ways to Promote your blog and increase your readership (faster) this year.
1. Optimize your blog's SEO for Google rankings
You have heard it over and over again. Your blog must be SEO ready.
So what exactly does " SEO ready in the context of promoting your blog and how can you truly achieve SEO supremacy in such a competitive world?
- Does this mean trying to use your target keyword in all other phrases, otherwise known as keyword stuffing ?
- Or does that mean writing content that you personally don't care about...just so you can rank for interesting terms and drive traffic?
The answer to both of these questions is no. Keyword stuffing doesn't help you rank higher and makes your writing insincere. Writing about things you don't care about (in an effort to get “good” keyword rankings) will wear you out quickly. You shouldn't keep working on something that doesn't interest you personally, especially because you probably won't get immediate results.
That being said, ranking high in the most significant search results in your blog niche on Google remains the most tangible source of continued traffic (high volume).
Social media posts can go incredibly viral, but they eventually die out, while a strong organic ranking can provide a steady stream of traffic that will keep sending readers straight to your blog.
So what are some SEO best practices you can use to get good results?
Here's a quick list to get you started, but for a more comprehensive guide to executing a smart SEO strategy for your blog, check out my 10 blog SEO strategies to use
Perform effective keyword research
The first step to properly optimizing your blog for SEO is to learn to do keyword research. Keyword research involves finding the good words or phrases your target audience is looking for already on Google and other search engines. So if you can create great content that ranks well for these proven search queries, you will be able to bring these readers to your blog. This is why nailing your SEO is by far the best long term sustainable way to promote your blog.
Now, if you're still relatively new to blogging, it's going to be hard to instantly compete on top search terms right away. You need to build momentum by finding keywords that exhibit these three characteristics:
- Low difficulty
- Medium to high volume
- Medium to high click through rate
In other words, you want to find keywords that a significant number of people search for, but few people write about. This will be the easiest way to quickly rank for keywords that can actually help promote your blog (and attract real readers).
However, researching these keywords doesn't mean you have to give up your blog ideas or interests. It simply means to identify good blog post ideas which can align with (1) what you want to write et (2) what others want to read.
Do a keyword research with a free tool like Twinword Ideas will also show you how to phrase the things people are looking for, giving you a very clear way to create your titles and position your content.
Target long and medium tail keywords
When Google first launched and blogging was still relatively new, a blogger could target just about any keyword and expect to rank for it. Today, it is extremely difficult to rank for just one keyword.
I went to Google and typed in the word “blog” for this example. I put quotes around the word, so it would only show me results that include that specific word.
Google has shown that there is over 13 billion search results for the word “blog”. Now let's see what happens if I use a more specific phrase like "how to name a blog"...
While there are still plenty of results (over 530), that's significantly less than 000 billion — and therefore a much more realistic target keyword phrase to try to rank for.
Expanding your keyword into a longer phrase that has clearer search intent will give you a much better chance of ranking in a meaningful place in organic search results.
This is called using long or medium tail keywords, and you can focus as narrowly as you want. The more you focus your content on your content (while still having enough appeal to attract a significant number of readers), the faster you'll be able to rank it.
And while there are literally hundreds of different keyword research tools out there, ranging from premium offerings like Ahrefs et SEMRush for advanced bloggers, I always recommend starting with a free tool like Twinword Ideas that will get you started with highly actionable keyword research data. and point you in the right direction for the keyword phrases you would be in the best position to write about today.
Make sure you nail your SEO on the page
Once you've created a shortlist of top mid- and long-tail keyword phrases you should blog about, you can begin the writing process.
Remember that keyword stuffing is never a good idea, but you should to integrate your keyword phrase with flavor and context in your blog post when there is a natural opportunity to do so. Keep in mind that one of the main factors that Google uses to determine le subject of a post or page is the most used keyword phrase.
However, the key is to make your content read as naturally as possible, like you're talking directly to a reader. It is also extremely important towrite a title that includes your keywords and integrate them into the subtitles of your content.
Finally, don't overlook the power of choosing the right (lightweight) WordPress theme to power your blog in an SEO friendly way too. Your theme can impact everything from your blog's default layout, to your page load time, to how your content visually appears on mobile devices and more, so it's a decision to be made carefully.
2. Research your competition
Before you start heavily promoting your blog, ask yourself this question… what does your blog offer that others don't?
If you haven't already, now is the time to dig deep and find out how others top blogs in your niche position themselves. Take careful note of the content topics they choose to write about and consider how they approach their content format for different categories of blog post types.
When doing your competitor analysis, look to answer these questions:
- Can you tell what works and what ne not working on the best blogs in your niche?
- In comparison, what can your blog uniquely contribute to the world?
- What information, skills or strengths do you have that are different from others?
- What new angle can you take on an otherwise saturated topic for blogging?
- Are there gaps in the topics that you can identify where readers want more?
One way to rank well on Google is to write about something that other people do not write Again. What topics do you want to cover (and your audience is likely to want) that there is currently a gap online?
You'll always want to write about proven topics that people are already typing into search engines, but that's exactly where “low competition” keywords come in.
Clever ways to promote your blog by creating content that stands out from the competition
If you're writing about something that's been covered many times before (high competition), think about how you can create a unique take on articles that already exist online.
- What key points do other blog posts leave out, where you can fill a knowledge gap?
- Maybe other blogs have decent information, but their graphics and images are poor?
- Could you film a detailed video tutorial to accompany your post (and teach in more actionable content medium)?
- Would writing a blog post 10 times more in-depth than the competition be more helpful to readers?
- Maybe there is a winning combination of these tactics that you can use?
The main idea is that your blogging goals should be focused on creating content that brings real benefit to people searching for answers on the internet.
If you're able to do this consistently, you're essentially laying the groundwork for a blog that gets noticed (by having incredibly useful content).
Think of it this way: if nearly everyone who reads your content feels compelled to share it with their own networks, your blog will have a much better chance of being shared virally on social media platforms, as well as rank higher in organic search results for your target keyword phrases.
3. Learn how to promote your blog to your target audience
Most bloggers start out not really knowing , promising is their target audience, which is a challenge if you're trying to make a splash in your niche and become a valued resource for people.
Until you start posting content and reaching online communities, chances are you won't know who will be most interested in connecting with you (and your blog content).
It takes time to really know who is your audience and what interests him. Once you're able to figure this out, it becomes much easier to promote directly to them – and therefore only focus on promotion channels that get your content in front of your audience, while avoiding those that don't. interested in your content.
Here are some activities to help you figure out who you're really writing to and how to get them to discover (and care about) your blog content.
Who is your target audience?
If you're still relatively new to blogging, you might not have a clue who your target audience is yet, and that's okay. If so, imagine who you want that your readership either.
Ask yourself questions like:
- What do you think these people will like about your blog?
- How can you use your unique strengths and experiences to help them?
- What do you offer them that gives them send to come back ?
These are the types of activities that you should also track during the process of creating a blog business plan.
Many beginner bloggers try to attract anyone and everyone to their blogs. Although it may bring you short-term gains, this approach is ultimately ineffective. et will leave you too scattered or confused about what topics you should pursue. Still, some experimentation is needed to start promoting your blog and attracting any type of audience.
As your blog grows, you can rely on free analytics tools like Google Analytics that give you a super clear view of who is visiting your blog, exactly where they are coming from, the keywords they are looking for and what they are doing on your site. You can also use comments left on your blog and social media accounts to learn more about who is interested in what you do.
Where does your target audience spend their time (online)?
Once you start to understand your blog's target audience, start thinking about who they really are and where they spend their time online.
I always recommend thinking about your target readers in terms of the demographics and psychographics that define them:
- Demography: The quantitative characteristics of your readers. Like age, gender, location, job title.
- Psychographic: More non-measurable traits like values, interests, attitudes and beliefs.
Using this basic understanding of who you want to promote your blog to, take it a step further and ask yourself questions like:
- Is there a particular social media app that your demographic prefers?
- What other websites or forums do you think they spend time on?
- Do they read major publications, trade magazines or other blogs?
When you start formulating your content ideas by answering these questions before digging into the writing process makes it much easier to promote posts after they go live because they already have a promotion strategy built into the equation.
For example, if you blog about gardening or homesteading, you probably don't need to spend a lot of time promoting your blog on LinkedIn.
Along the same lines, if you're starting a new tech blog, you might need to put a lot of energy into a tech-heavy social network like Twitter (depending on what type of tech you're writing about).
What is your audience excited to share with others (and promote on your behalf)?
Ranking high in Google's organic search results is one facet of creating a blog promotion engine, but you also want to create content that your readers will share with others, all of their own. chief. Even if your content does not go completely viral, it is extremely important that your content is shared by your readers.
If your audience is so excited about the content they discover on your site, that they feel personally compelled to promote your blog by sharing your content with their friends and family… then you won't have to spend so much time to tinker with other promotional strategies.
Ask yourself these kinds of questions to get to the bottom of things:
- What type of content is my audience ready (and most enthusiastic) to share?
- What emotions will make them feel a strong desire to click the share button?
- What will they want to retweet or share on their Instagram story?
- How can you thoughtfully ask them to share your content (with the right blogging tools )?
We'll talk in much more detail later in this guide about how to make your content easy to share (and how to design sharing on all the major social networks), but for now, think about the type of content that will best engage your audience in sharing.
What are your audience's biggest pain points (and how will you address them)?
Another factor to consider when promoting your blog content is the pain points you are addressing. A pain point is a problem that your readers or potential readers may encounter.
Many bloggers become famous because they are able to solve readers' problems. It doesn't have to be too complicated either. Sometimes a person's problem is as simple as needing a new pair of running shoes. If your blog is about running, you can offer them a solution by recommending good pairs of running shoes for different types of conditions.
Let's give a few more examples. Suppose you have a travel blog. What are some common issues or questions your audience might have? Here is a list of questions readers might ask:
- Where is the best place to stay in Paris?
- How can I travel cheap to London?
- What are the best places to visit in Japan?
- What are the places I must see when I visit South Africa?
You can use your blog to answer your readers' most pressing questions. In response, you could write something like:
- 10 best hotels to stay in Paris
- How to travel to London without spending a fortune
- 15 Things You Must See When Visiting Japan
As you become an authority in your niche, your audience will respect your opinion and will want keep coming back to your blog for more.
They will know they can find the answers they are looking for (in your niche) on your blog.
Not only that, but you're also more likely to get search engine clicks over time because you're constantly writing about similar topics that people really want to know about in your niche.
4. Guest posts are a great way to promote your blog
Guest articles are hands down the best way to start promoting your blog and driving extra traffic from day one.
What is a guest post? Simply put, it's when you write content for another blog, hoping they'll publish it - and as a benefit, you can get a quality link to your own blog, potentially drive traffic and also grow your personal brand by associating with this more established site.
The main reason guest posts are so effective is the long-term gain of building spring your blog a portfolio of high quality backlinks (from the most trusted sites where you post your guest posts). When you post a guest post, you are generally allowed to tastefully link to your own blog, either in the post or in the bio section at the end of the post, and those links lead directly to your blog. will increase both the authority and littlewind generate real traffic.
Guest posts also help your blog's overall SEO health, as they signal to major search engines like Google that your blog is getting attention from other (more trusted and established) websites, which in turn helps your blog to rank higher in search results over time.
How to Choose the Right Blog to Guest Post On
I'll be honest with you, guest posts will be a lot of work. That's why it's essential that you only reach out to blogs that will actually help you promote your blog.
Your main consideration is the type of blog or publication you want to write for:
- Choose articles to feature that have a similar audience to the one you are looking to create
- Look for blogs and articles that already clearly accept guest posts (and allow a link or two)
- Aim for realistic leads (i.e. you won't write for Forbes without some existing credibility)
Remember, if you want to get real results from promoting your blog through guest posts, relevance is everything.
This means that if you're a personal finance blogger, you're unlikely to get much traffic from guest posts on a fashion blog, nor are they likely to accept a pitch from you. .
People interested in fashion may also be interested in cars, but they are not prepared for that on a fashion blog. They don't go to a fashion blog to learn about the best cars to buy. They visit the site because they want to know more about fashion. Make sure your blog is relevant to those you want to write for.
Another key factor is the size of the blog you are offering guests to write for. Keep these considerations in mind during your research process:
- Aim for a blog bigger than yours, but not so massive that you're irrelevant to them
- Try to find a blog that is about 3-5 times the size of your own blog (using a tool like Alexa )
- Leverage any mutual connections you might have to get a blogger introduction
Realistically, this medium-sized blog is much more likely to respond to your outreach emails and accept a guest post from you. While they may not have millions of readers, you still have the opportunity to connect with a larger group of readers than you currently have – and you'll be laying the groundwork for building a link profile. solid for your blog.
Pitch ideas your blog host will want to use
When coming up with story ideas for potential host blogs, remember to keep their style in mind. First choose the blog you want to write for, then come up with ideas that match its image. Don't just come up with a generic idea and try to sell it to a hundred different blogs.
Come up with a tailored pitch for your blogger outreach efforts, as bloggers are much more likely to be chosen by the host blog.
Take the time to show tell your prospects how your guest post will add value to their readers.
If you're not already familiar with a particular blog you want to write about, take the time to read their blog posts. Find out what their main message is and come up with a few article topics that will help them in their greater mission, creating useful content for their readers.
All blogs are more likely to turn down guest posts that don't fit their overall vision (and editorial plans), but will be more willing to work with you to polish a pitch if you show a clear understanding of their goals, their tone and relevant topics.
Tastefully drive traffic to your blog
After you've been approved to write a guest post, you'll have the opportunity to promote your blog (tastefully and within reason) in your post.
In the guest post you write, find ways to tastefully weave a link or two (when really relevant) to posts from your own blog that you want to rank for in Google searches.
Your host blog will also allow you to have a bio section at the end of your guest post, where you can tell more about yourself and link back to your blog. If the host blog doesn't allow you to have a bio or a link to your blog, I personally recommend that you move on and target another site that will allow you to link to your website. Ultimately, this has to be a fair value trade.
5. Use email marketing to help promote your blog
You could be forgiven for thinking that email is falling by the wayside with all the emerging social networks popping up these days, but email marketing is still a very dynamic source of traffic for many bloggers. (myself included) even those who are just getting started and still have small mailing lists.
It is expected that the number of e-mail users will increase from 3,7 billion to 4,1 billion by the end of 2024. Add to that the evidence that blog posts are also 3,5 times more likely to be shared on social media by your email followers, and that's a good reason to invest in email marketing from day one of your blog.
So how can you use the email marketing to promote your blog more effectively (and possibly profit from it)?
Let's look at some of the top ways email can help you bring readers back. on your blog over time.
Start building the list
List building is the act of collecting email subscribers from the pool of readers landing on your blog. The emails you send to your subscribers often contain things like:
- Announcements of new blog posts
- Additional content offerings (eBooks, downloadable spreadsheets, tools, upgrades)
- Ads about paid product or service offerings you launch
- General updates on what's happening with your blog
Email is also a smart way to communicate with your readers because you are writing to a group of people who have already shown interest in your content. They have voluntarily subscribed to your mailing list, so they are already very engaged with you. This is your self-selected target audience to whom you can promote new blog posts.
The 3 Best Tools to Use for Your Blog's Email Marketing
Those using self-hosted WordPress for their blogs will need to find an email service provider, as you won't have email marketing as a built-in feature of your blog. An ESP offers bulk email services and is a necessary resource for a sustainable email marketing plan once you get past a few dozen email subscribers that you can no longer manage in a spreadsheet.
There are many great email marketing tools to choose from, but my top picks are:
- ConvertKit (my favorite and what I use today)
- AWeber (what I used several years ago)
- MailChimp (free for less than 2 subscribers)
Email service providers do a lot of the work for you, like managing your subscriber list.
Those who are just starting to grow their mailing list can get the most out of using a free MailChimp tool. They allow you to use most of their features for free, with up to 2 subscribers. When you're about to hit the 000 subscriber mark, then my number one choice from there is ConvertKit.
How to (Quickly) Grow Your Email List as a Blogger
The best way to entice new subscribers to join your list is to make an attractive offer – something you're willing to give your (new) subscriber for free, in exchange for joining your list.
Also known as the lead magnet, examples of my most effective sign-up offers include things like:
- Free spreadsheets and paperwork
- Free lessons, whether delivered by email or video
- Free Templates
- Free eBooks read my guide to how to write an ebook
- Free consultation calls
- Discount codes or special offers
If you've used one of the three email marketing tools I recommend (above), you'll also receive a small snippet of code (or an easy-to-install plugin) that you can use to embed the tool to your WordPress blog. From there, when new subscribers sign up for your blog, that information will automatically be pushed to your email marketing tool (and the subscriber will be added to your list).
You can use your email capture forms in several places on your blog, including:
- In the header of your blog
- In the footer of your blog
- On dedicated landing pages (try Unbounce to create high-converting landing pages)
- At the top (and bottom) of your blog posts
- In a popup
Wherever readers spend time on your blog, make sure you always have a relevant email signup offer nearby.
How to Engage Your Email Subscribers
Growing your mailing list isn't just about getting readers to sign up. It's even more important to keep current subscribers as engaged as possible after signing up.
Subscribers who join your list and don't hear from you for weeks…are likely to unsubscribe as soon as they get your next email, because they're more likely to forget when (or how) they joined. subscribed to your emails, which undoes the hard work you put into gathering subscribers in the first place.
Here are a few things you can do to make your emails more interesting to your subscribers:
- Use storytelling in your emails : Many blogs use a newsletter to let their readers know what's going on behind the scenes. This can include personal details about your life or just topical information on your blog, and ideally information that is additional only to the content you have posted on your blog each week.
- Fix your email subject line : Subscribers will not open emails with uninteresting or misleading titles. Knowing what type of subject line to use comes down to knowing your target audience. Your audience may respond better to humor or prefer something more informative and simple.
- keep it simple : People only have a limited time to read their e-mails. Save them a long and boring email and provide effective and accurate content with a call to action to click to learn more if they are interested in the topic.
Getting a good financial return from your blog's email marketing efforts doesn't have to take weeks, months, or years either.
If you can genuinely connect with the readers on your email list, then you can work directly with them to solve their biggest challenges. These experiences (and ideas) can lead to a future book, online course, podcast, product, consulting/coaching opportunity and more. ways to monetize your blog's audience.
6. Build your social media presence (where it matters)
Social media is another extremely effective way to promote. Be warned though, social media is not not as easy for promoting blogs than before.
Platforms like Facebook and Instagram offer paid boost opportunities, but free organic engagement is much harder to come by these days.
That's not to say that social media isn't profitable for bloggers. It's still a great way to build your brand, but expectations need to be set carefully. It just means that you're going to have to spend valuable time cultivating your social media presence (on the right networks) if you want to have any real impact in terms of getting traffic back to your blog.
That's why I recommend picking only 1 or 2 social media channels to invest your energy in.
Unless you pay someone to manage your social media accounts and spend a lot of time interacting with your target audience across multiple platforms, you will most likely be too spread out to try and follow all types of social media. – alongside managing your entire blog. Social media platforms help bloggers learn a lot more about their target audience, in addition to generating high-quality leads for your business.
Now because what works today Learning how to promote your blog on social media is drastically different from platform to platform, so we'll break it down one social network at a time, starting with Pinterest.
How to promote your blog on Pinterest
Pinterest is one of the most valuable social media platforms for new bloggers to maximize their return. The platform has over 322 million monthly active users, making it one of the most popular social media platforms on the market today, especially if you're reaching an audience that is more female-biased, because they have a 70% female user base.
One of the most attractive things about Pinterest is the lifespan of a pin. While a tweet on Twitter or a post on Facebook has a very short lifespan (minutes or hours), Pins on Pinterest can last for months. You'll probably see the most engagement in the first week of a Pin's life, but the magic thing about Pinterest is that a Pin can reappear months or even years later and earn back in popularity, thereby promoting your blog and driving traffic. It's much less likely on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.
Here are some quick tips to help you get started:
- Create a business account with Pinterest : Creating a business account allows you to view your account analytics and see how your Pins are performing in terms of impressions and clicks over time. This information is essential to know how well you are promoting your blog on Pinterest.
- Design images for Pinterest : Pinterest will grab images from your blog post to use as a featured image on a Pin if you simply paste the link to a post. However, for best results, you should create an image specifically designed for Pinterest. A 2:3 aspect ratio is best and the image should include recognizable branding of your blog. Include this image in your blog post, so others can use it when pinning your content. You can use premium design tools like Adobe Photoshop or free tools like Canva to create these images.
- Use Pinterest SEO : Similar to when optimizing content for Google, Pinterest also has its own algorithm that powers how they recommend content to their users. To rank higher on Pinterest, try using SEO best practices like writing catchy titles that include your target keyword phrases and writing helpful descriptions.
How to promote your blog on Facebook
With over 1,62 billion daily users, Facebook hardly needs an introduction. The main selling point of using Facebook to promote your blog is the sheer number of people using it. That's a huge amount of activity for a platform, and it gives you the ability to reach a giant audience of potential blog readers.
The biggest downside to Facebook is the lack of reach you have on the platform, especially if you've just created a new group or business page. Facebook severely limits your visibility if your page doesn't quickly grow. If people aren't very engaged from the start, Facebook probably won't show your content to many users on their feeds…unless you're willing to invest money in advertising to boost your posts.
However, there are still ways to get real organic traffic from Facebook, and I'll talk about them here. Paying for promotion is also an option, but for now, let's focus on free blog promotion strategies:
- Join groups in your niche : One of the best ways to promote your blog on Facebook is to join relevant groups that already exist to discuss topics in your niche. Make sure the groups you join allow you to promote your blog before signing up. It's also important to engage with other people's posts and interact before you start sharing your own content. You don't want to come across as a spammer and you'll likely lose their interest if this is your only contribution.
- Create your own group : Instead of only joining other people's groups on Facebook, you can consider creating one of your own (where you can set the rules and guide the discussion). Think about the type of group you would like to create in order to appeal to your target audience. What would turn them on? Once you figure that out, start a group and start building a community.
- Create a business page : Create a Facebook business page which includes all of your blog information, including a link to your blog. Facebook will give you access to your Page Analytics, so you can see how many people view and interact with your posts, as well as your engagement rate.
- Engage your audience : Once you start building an audience, keep them engaged with regular content. This can include fun memes, updates to your blog, video presentations, and breaking news about your niche. Also consider including questions in your Facebook posts, to encourage people to respond and stay engaged.
- Respond to comments : If people leave comments on your Facebook posts, try to respond as soon as possible. Comments signal to Facebook that your post is getting attention, so you want to encourage comments as much as possible, which can trigger their algorithm to get your post to appear more widely in people's News Feeds.
How to promote your blog on Instagram
Instagram is an image-rich social media platform that has steadily gained momentum since its launch in 2010. Instagram has about 1 billion people using the app every month and users spend an average of 28 minutes per day on the platform, making it a great destination, especially if your content is visual in nature.
One interesting thing about Instagram is that it attracts men and women at almost equal rates – 52% women and 48% men. That's a big difference when you compare it to Pinterest which has a 70% female user base.
As with Facebook (which also owns Instagram), however, it can be difficult to get free organic traffic. Unlike Facebook, however, you have a bit more control over your audience. You can connect directly with like-minded people by following people in your niche, engaging and messaging them easily.
To find these like-minded people, simply search for popular hashtags in your niche. Once you find accounts similar to yours, you can follow them and they can follow you back and lead to possible collaborations.
Here are some additional practical tips to help you:
- Make the most of your Instagram bio : Unless you have more than 10 followers, Instagram does not allow you to use links directly in your stories or photos. That's why it's so important to use your bio to link back to your blog as you grow your audience. Instagram doesn't give you a lot of space to introduce yourself, so make the most of the space given to you. Your bio is a great way for people to find out who you are. Be specific about what you do and what your blog is about.
- Use a link tree : Since you can only include one link in your Instagram bio, many people choose to use a tree of links as a single link. Using this free tool allows you to include multiple links to different destinations. If you have a store, several specific blog posts that just came out, or a YouTube channel that you also want to promote, they can all be listed using a link tree.
- Post high-quality, eye-catching images : Since Instagram is so rich in images, it is almost impossible to develop a following without high-quality images that will capture the attention of your followers. If you don't have a cell phone that takes great photos, you might want to consider using a good digital camera to take your photos.
- Engage with other users : One way to develop a following on Instagram is to regularly interact with other Instagram users. Regularly follow, like, and comment on other people's accounts and you should start building relationships with real people. Find a hashtag that interests you and spend twenty minutes liking and commenting on other people's posts. Chances are you'll get at least a small portion of people engaged in return.
How to promote your blog on Twitter
Twitter doesn't quite have the level of activity Instagram and Facebook boast about. It counts approximately 330 million monthly users , which puts it roughly on par with Pinterest. It's still a huge population of people to work with, and for those who love Twitter, a great place to connect with your potential audience (and promote your blog).
In order to determine if your blogging niche fits Twitter, consider these stats. 56% of Twitter users recently ranked “following the news” as their number one reason for using this social media platform. If your blog is related to news, business, politics, entertainment, new technology or sports, Twitter will probably be a good way to promote your blog. Other niche topics can also do very well on Twitter, so be sure to do your research to see if there's an active community you can start interacting with.
Twitter can also be extremely beneficial for drive traffic to your blog, because users are conditioned to expect most tweets to contain a link, and your followers can retweet your tweets, amplifying them to their own audience. If you've written something that resonates with your audience, your tweet can be quickly passed on to new accounts through viral sharing.
Use Twitter to generate new content ideas for your blog
Plus, you can use Twitter to easily find new content ideas for your blog. This platform can give you an up-to-date insight into the thoughts and ideas that are catching people's attention right now. What is the trend right now? What types of tweets get retweeted over and over again? Use this information to attract the kind of audience you want.
- By all means, use hashtags : Using hashtags can lead to 100% more engagement on your content. However, you should only use one or two hashtags, otherwise you risk reducing engagement again, as the tweets will look more like spam than a real message.
- Also use videos : Twitter is widely known as a text-based platform, but images and videos are also important. It's been reported that people watch 2 billion videos on Twitter every day, and it's one of the most engaging content formats that will appear in a user's feed.
- Beware of automated tweets : Twitter has implemented new rules in recent years to reduce the amount of spam circulating on its platform. These new rules prohibit Twitter users from posting the same content to multiple accounts. You are also prohibited from posting duplicate content multiple times to the same account.
- Use links ClicktoTweet in your article : A cool feature of Twitter allows you to tweet phrases or sentences directly from your blog post.
Now let's talk about promoting your blog on the new trending social media app… TikTok.
How to promote your blog on TikTok
I included TikTok on my list of social media platforms you can use to promote your blog, mainly because it's so new and reaches a very specific demographic of millennials and young people. Although you will find TikTok users of all ages, your primary users will be Gen Z and Millennials (think around 15-30).
What's exciting with Tik Tok? On the one hand, it's a new way to connect with people that always generates a lot of excitement and momentum. It's a platform made up entirely of short videos, many of which are just plain fun. It is one of the fastest growing platforms in the world and has over 800 million monthly users.
Only time can tell if TikTok is a flash in the pan, but the statistics seem to indicate that it is not. It continues to be downloaded at a steady increase, and so far there have been over 1,5 billion total downloads, including 123 million in the United States alone. It is also estimated that users spend on average 52 minutes per day on the platform, which is very high for a social media app.
Because TikTok is so new, there aren't a ton of stats showing how much traffic it gets. However, many brands have already used TikTok successfully in their promotional plans.
If you want to try using TikTok to help you, here are some ideas:
- Create fun content : Create short videos on your TikTok account that show your personality and grab people's attention. If people find you funny or relevant, chances are they'll be interested enough to check out your blog and find out more about you.
- Start a hashtag challenge : Like many influencers, you can try making your own trending challenge. Think of something that connects to both your blog's brand and your audience's desires, then strategize on how to create a video that will entertain them. Challenge people to create or recreate a similar video with your hashtag.
- Contact TikTok influencers : There are many people who have already become famous on TikTok. Many of these people are everyday people who have found a way to connect with an audience and have built a massive following. Consider teaming up with a TikTok influencer if your blog is something they would be interested in collaborating with.
Final (general) guidelines for promoting your blog on social media
Here are some general guidelines you should always follow when using social media to promote your content.
These rules apply to almost all platforms, so consider these suggestions no matter which social network(s) you decide to use to promote your blog.
- Link to your social media accounts : Place easily recognizable social media icons around your blog pages (to encourage following) and strategically in your blog posts (to encourage sharing). Make it easier to find your accounts on social networks. If you use multiple social media platforms, use them to connect with each other. For example, you can include a link to your Twitter account on your Facebook page. You can also include a link in your emails to your email subscribers. Think of it like creating a network for your blog, making it as easy as possible for people to follow what you're up to.
- Use appropriate images and sizes : A big part of successful blog promotion is visual. People connect with images and videos they find appealing. One of your strategies for promoting your blog is to understand the right image sizes and resolutions. PFor example, vertical images tend to perform better on Pinterest. Creating custom images for each platform takes a little longer, but your engagement rate is likely to be much higher when images are sized correctly for optimal engagement.
7. Make your content easily shareable
Part of your job as the main promoter of your blog is to create easy-to-share content. Not only do you need to get readers to check out your blog posts, but you also need to make those blog posts interesting enough that your readers are encouraged to share them with others in their networks.
Here are some tips to help you create shareable content designed to attract more readers:
Make your content easy to digest and understand
The complexity of your blog post depends somewhat on your audience.
If you're writing a tech blog for techs, your writing will obviously be more technical. You can turn off people who aren't as tech-savvy, but you're writing to your target audience. So you always do the right thing by defining a clear style.
Always keep your target audience in mind and ask yourself if the content you are writing is right for them.
For most blogs, a good rule of thumb is to " write up to an 8th grade ". It may seem condescending at first, but writing on the Internet is different from writing in print.
When reading online, people tend to skip, skim and search for key points and headings. This is why it is necessary to avoid long walls of text without spacing, images or separators to break up the content.
Clear headings, shorter paragraphs, and well-defined sections are key to making your writing accessible.
Use interesting titles
I'm not a big fan of clickbait article titles, but it There are an art ofwrite effective headlines that encourage readers to click and come to your blog.
First and foremost, you need to use smart SEO strategies when writing your article titles, so that people find your title the most appealing. That being said, you'll also want your headline to be appealing to people who might stumble upon a link to your blog post on a social media platform or in a forum. I talk about it a lot more in my guide to writing a blog post, but here are some of the key takeaways:
- Use numbers : Numbers stand out visually in a title. Whether you do a roundup or just include the year, it can make your title stand out.
- Include your keyword or keyphrase : Use your target keyword in your title, so your audience knows exactly what you are writing about and to help your SEO ranking ability in the longer term.
- Make your headline interesting : Will people be likely to click on your post when they see your headline? Will they want to share it on Facebook, Twitter or in their Instagram stories?
- Include a hook in your title : give people a reason to click on your links. Use your headline to show them how your blog post will help them solve a clear problem or challenge.
If you still don't know how to write a compelling headline, seek inspiration from your competitors. Be careful never to copy or use an exact title that a competitor already has, but it's a good idea to take inspiration from what clearly works already good.
8. Learn from your analytics (to better promote your blog)
In its simplest form, analysis is any which gives you an overview of your blog's performance. When you review your analytics platform, you can glean a lot of important insights into what works and what doesn't when it comes to promoting your blog.
Google Analytics is the most popular free platform for collecting information about your blog, but there are other things you can look at as well. For example, if you run a contextual tool for email subscriptions on your blog, you can study its success.
- How many people saw the pop-up (impressions)?
- How many of those people subscribed after seeing it?
- How many of these new subscribers stay engaged on your list?
Obviously, you can also use analytics after growing your email subscriber list. Most email marketing tools will give you information on things like your open rate and click-through rate.
- Which emails do people open and which do they reject?
- How many people unsubscribed after opening your email?
- Which A/B-tested titles performed best with your audience?
This type of data will help you better understand your blog audience and better calibrate yourself for more successful blog promotion in the long run.
If you want to use your analytics as part of your promotion plan, here are some of my top recommendations.
Set up (and use) Google Analytics
Those of you who are not yet using Google Analytics will greatly benefit from this free tool.
We'll explore other tools that I recommend later in this guide, but I want to zoom in on this one first. Google Analytics allows you to get essential information about your blog visitors.
- You can know which blog posts are getting attention and which are not
- You can identify the exact sources of traffic for your blog posts
- You can even see what keywords people are searching for before they click through to your blog.
- You can monitor the average session duration (to see how long readers stay)
- You can get detailed information about who your audience is, where they are from and much more
Google Analytics will also give you useful data on your blog's bounce rate, where traffic is coming from, and more.
Study your social media analytics
If you opt for a professional account on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest, these platforms will provide you with extremely useful analyzes on the performance of your content.
Google Analytics will always tell you when you're getting traffic from a social media site, but individual social media platforms can tell you how well an individual post is performing or give you general trends about how your content is performing on different sites. longer periods. .
Imagine you posted a pin on Pinterest and it resulted in above average clicks. You need to go back and figure out why a particular item worked better than another:
- Was it the image design?
- Was your description better?
- Did you pick a topic that was trending?
Even if it didn't lead to an increase in link clicks, Pinterest will tell you if people have selected a close-up of your pin. This information is invaluable because it gives you a real idea of what your audience wants most.
Link your analytics to A/B testing
Few bloggers succeed without a lot of experimentation along the way.
When you start blogging for the first time, your content promotion efforts may seem a little scattered. There's not enough data to make an informed decision about what works and what doesn't… that's one of the reasons I love A/B testing so much.
A/B testing, sometimes called split testing, simply means trying two different versions, variations, or methods, to see which performs better. You can use split testing with almost anything.
- You can use it to see which popup generates the most email subscribers
- What time of day is best for posting
- What types of titles people click on the most, etc.
Pinterest users often post more than one pin per blog post, just to see which one performs better — and that's a form of A/B testing as long as you make informed decisions based on the findings you gather.
Even if your blog is already successful, you can still improve your results with thoughtful split testing. Never stop optimizing your blog for even better results.
9. Engage with your audience
The sooner you realize that one of the primary purposes of your blog (should be) to help people and touch their lives in a meaningful way, the sooner you will be able to promote your blog content in a way that is authentic, meaningful and invites your readers to implore interaction with you.
The more you engage with your audience and engage them in the conversation, the more they will engage with you.
This is true on your social media accounts, as well as your blog. Here are some of my proven ways to help increase your blog's engagement and position it well to encourage your readers to promote your blog on your behalf.
Make it easy for readers to comment on your blog.
Don't make it hard for people to leave a comment on your blog posts. This means that if you run your blog on WordPress, be sure to enable comments on your posts. If you use a free blogging platform (like Wix or Squarespace), be sure to enable this feature in your settings.
Some readers may want to leave a comment asking you an important question (this could fuel the idea of a new blog post topic to write about), but they won't spend a lot of time looking for the comments section. if it's buried somewhere at the bottom of the page.
Position your comments section immediately after your blog post ends, so they don't have to work hard to comment and interact with you.
Respond to comments on your blog
Trust me, your readers want to feel like they can reach out and connect with the person behind the blog.
If people take the time to ask a meaningful question in a comment on your blog, it's a great investment to find the time to respond (and answer their question, if any).
Ask your audience questions
Help your blog readers feel part of your process by asking them questions in your post or at the very end of a blog post.
People love the opportunity to share their own thoughts and perspectives, which often leads to ideas, tactics, or comments that you hadn't thought of on your own. It's also a great opportunity to learn more about what people want from your blog and where you might have space to better meet their needs.
Identify the best way to help your audience
Most bloggers write a page Abouts or have a section “Start here “, but are you using these pages to your advantage?
Your about page is a golden opportunity to tell a story about who you are, why you started your blog, and gives space to show your readers why they should care about your blog.
It's also a good place to build your own credibility, establish trust, show visitors why they should listen to you, and explain exactly how you can help them with clear, tangible examples.
If readers can't quickly identify your blog's purpose, chances are they won't want to stick around.
10. Use existing content to promote your new blog posts
A reliable strategy for learning how to promote your blog more effectively (especially after you start making real progress) is to use your existing content – where certains readers are already landing – to promote your new work. It may sound strange, but it's actually a pretty simple concept.
Starting with the basics, there are two main types of links you can use in your blog content:
- external links : External links refer visitors to other blogs and websites
- internal links : internal links direct your readers to other pages and articles of your own blog
Using internal links is very beneficial for your own blog, not only because it lowers your bounce rate, increases the chances of growing your email list, and gives you more opportunities to profit from your content, but because it also bypasses positive SEO, benefits you might feel if one of your articles gains popularity online.
However, to have quality internal links, you must first create a content ecosystem. As you grow your blog over time, imagine how all of your content can work together, keeping in mind the relationships between different content mediums such as blog posts, eBooks, case studies, landing pages, press releases, videos, etc.
When executed correctly, your blog posts can function as a web of related content, all linking to and supporting each other. Think about the top questions your blog readers might be asking (relative to your niche) and treat your content ecosystem as a way to address all of those most pressing challenges through a series of related content. When posting new content, frequently assess where you can go back and internally link to your new work, from existing posts that are already attracting readers.
It takes time to build a content ecosystem, but as you post blog posts, make a habit of coming back to your old content for updates and new internal linking opportunities.
11. Connect with influential people in your niche
Networking isn't just for people who work at big companies and are trying to climb the corporate ladder. It's necessary for almost any type of job, especially for bloggers who spend the majority of their time working from home or at the local coffee shop.
Finding others in your niche (or related niches) through smart blogger outreach is an exceptional way to increase your blog's exposure.
I wouldn't be so successful today if I hadn't started reaching out to other influential bloggers, startup founders, podcast hosts, authors, and speakers from the wider blogging community.
On top of that, we've already mentioned guest posts as a win-win way to network with other bloggers in your space, but here are a few more ways to grow your audience by working with others.
Get interviewed on other bloggers' podcasts
Whether you have your own podcast or not, you can always volunteer to become a guest on other people's podcasts. Podcasts are (again) gaining a lot of momentum, and you can gain traffic and exposure by being a guest on the right shows.
You also don't have to wait for someone to contact you. Take the initiative to set aside time each week to reach out to podcast hosts that interest you personally and where it seems your target audience tunes in regularly. Eventually you will find the right show.
Of course, before you can start introducing yourself to other people… you have to come up with something worthwhile to say.
As with guest posts, don't waste your time pitching ideas to potential podcast hosts that don't fit well with their show's topics.
- What unique do you have to offer at their show?
- What is one story angle you can highlight that will interest listeners?
- Does your story fit well with their usual style and format?
If you can bring an exciting and entertaining episode idea to the table in your podcast presentation, because the host is much more likely to want to include you in its future programming.
Welcome thought leaders in your niche
Appearing on other people's podcasts and blogs is a great way to promote your blog and grow your audience, but it also works the other way around. Inviting people to post on my blog and be interviewed on my podcast has been an incredible opportunity for my own blog, both in terms of the relationships I've built and the quality content I've gotten into result.
Having a podcast gives me an easy excuse to reach out and chat with my biggest heroes in the blogging space, while providing them with real value (bringing those guests to my audience of listeners and readers).
This technique works so well because it's a real win-win for everyone involved.
Additionally, including other voices on your site increases the overall authority of your own blog and increases your value to the community. It is also very likely that your guest will share the interview with their audience, which will give you even greater exposure. This type of collaboration is mutually beneficial for all parties, including your readers .
Co-host joint webinars
In addition to being a guest on a podcast, you can also co-host a webinar with another blogger in your space to bring your combined audiences together in the name of added value (while exposing each other to like-minded audiences).
A webinar is an online event, Q&A session, or presentation, and they provide another opportunity to not only connect with your (live) audience to answer questions and provide value, but also to promote your blog in a meaningful way.
Team up with someone who is a bit more well-known in your industry and you'll have the opportunity to demonstrate your expertise with them in a live video setting.
Don't be afraid to reach out to brands that operate in your niche as well, as they're always looking for new people to showcase their products or services (and have people who can share valuable knowledge with your combined audiences).
Join communities in your blog niche
You may not know it, but there are hundreds, if not thousands, of online communities in your niche.
Joining these groups can be a great way to promote your blog while providing value to people in your space. It's also a great way to meet other bloggers, network, find potential promotional partners, and learn from each other.
Some great blog-specific niche communities to join include:
- GrowthHackers
- Triberr
- BlogEngage
- DoSplash
There are also many Facebook groups you can join, some of which help by creating a regular space and time to share your content or by soliciting feedback from readers who agree to review your content. You can even find strong collaboration partners by participating in the right communities.
Promote your blog by reaching out to every person (and brand) you mention
I talked about internal links above, but external links also have a major advantage in terms of promoting your blog. In fact, this technique is the basis of how I have been able to build relationships with many influencers in my niche through clever blogger outreach. Here's how it works:
- For every blog post I write, my goal is to have around 10-20 outbound links
- When I publish my blog post, I email the people or brands I mention (to let them know I linked them in my post)
- If they answer, I'll ask them often if they would agree to share my article with their followers on social networks.
This approach works so well because it delivers value first. It stands out from the dozen other emails your potential partner receives during their day – where people just ask them to share or link to an article. without provide no initial value beforehand… and therein lies your opportunity.
Keep in mind though that even I don't always hear from everyone I contact. But even if half the bloggers I message end up sharing my post, it still gets the word out a lot more than I otherwise would have.
Practicing this type of networking can also lead to more collaboration opportunities, regular social sharing exchanges, future guest blog spots and more. These types of partnerships help both parties reach a wider audience in the same niche, so they're a clear win-win.
Leave comments on other blogs
Another really easy way to start networking with other bloggers (and get them to a place where they recognize your name and photo) is to leave comments on their blog posts.
It only takes a little of your time each week, and you can quite quickly establish a connection with a blogger you want to collaborate with one day. It can also open the door to other opportunities in the future, like guest posting, social sharing, or whatever.
12. Use the right tools and resources to help promote your blog
Continuing to promote your blog can be a lot of work, especially as new blog promotion strategies gain popularity and others lose viability.
If there's one constant as a blogger…it's that change never stops happening. My advice is to be at peace with the reality that you will have to continually reinvent yourself as a blogger, and always keep an eye out for new promotional strategies that you can experiment (and learn).
Now, at this point in your blogging journey, you've probably already spent a lot of your time blogging. write content for your blog. Now that you have done this, you must dedicate even more time to its promotion and the acquisition of readers.
I feel your pain. Blogging is not an easy job, especially when you are just getting established. That's why I always recommend using the best tools available to help lighten your load and amplify the work you do.
For an in-depth review of all the tools I recommend for bloggers, head over to my picks for bloggers. best blogging tools. Here is an overview of some of the most relevant to learn how to promote your blog more successfully.
Use Ahrefs to Strategically Promote Your Blog Content
Ahrefs is one of the most useful (paid) blogging tools to help you develop your SEO (and content promotion) strategy. For keyword research and competitor analysis, this is by far the best resource on the market today, but it comes at a pretty high price, starting at $99/month. If you're on a budget, I recommend using the Free Twinword Ideas (below).
Many years ago, Ahrefs started as a backlink checker, a service it still provides today. Since then, Ahrefs has grown to include dozens of incredibly useful features. They now offer content research and analysis, keyword research, competitor research, and on-page SEO analysis (among many others)
As I mentioned, this tool is far from free, which can be a deterrent for brand new bloggers. You may not want to invest today in a tool that goes far beyond the budget for your blog. However, keep in mind that this is a powerful tool to put in place a solid plan of action to promote your blog content once you can afford it.
Keyword Ideas Can Fuel Your Keyword Research
If Ahrefs' Keyword Research component sounds appealing to you, I highly recommend checking out this free alternative. - Twinword Ideas.
This fantastic free tool gives you a quick overview of the most searched terms in your niche and will show you clear suggestions for keywords to target (and topics to write on your blog). It even breaks down the suggestions by country and language, in case you're targeting a specific market.
Use Yoast SEO Plugin to Boost Your Google Rankings
The first (free) WordPress plugin I always recommend bloggers install is Yoast SEO. It adds an extremely useful toolbar to the bottom of your blog posts (when viewing them internally as an author), which provides a wide range of SEO recommendations that will help you ensure that your content meets all most important SEO best practices. giving you a much higher chance of ranking well in organic search for your target keyword phrase.
Encourage one-click content sharing and email capture with Sumo
Le Sumo WordPress Plugin is an all-in-one marketing tool that performs a wide range of functions for free.
From capturing emails with forms and pop-ups to easily adding social sharing buttons on your blog pages and posts, cart abandonment tools, audience analytics , etc…
Final thoughts: Be patient to learn how to promote your blog
Many bloggers start out with a ton of excitement and ambition when they first launch their blog.
Unfortunately, that enthusiasm can wane pretty quickly when you don't immediately see the results you're hoping for, especially when it comes to promoting your blog content and attracting your early readers.
Be patient with yourself and your blog.
When it comes to blogging, there are some hard truths you need to keep in mind.
Organic traffic is a great way to promote your blog…but it can often take a while before you start seeing the fruits of your labor. In some cases, it can take months, or even up to a year, before your organic search ranking can reach a significant position that brings you significant traffic.
When you start to get discouraged from your blogging efforts, remember to stay the course.
It is your consistent effort that will pay off in the long run as your blog grows to a point where it gets substantial traffic and ends up making money.
In this guide, we've gone over some of my top tips on how to promote your blog. That doesn't mean you should try to implement all of these strategies at once, though. Trying to do it all will leave you feeling overwhelmed and stressed. Plus, it won't give you a clear indication of what's actually working in terms of results.
Your action plan to promote your blog today
Follow these steps, starting now:
- Focus on just 1-3 of these blog promotion strategies (ideally ones that build on your own strengths) and commit to a 3-6 month trial
- As difficult or confusing as it may seem, really give these new tactics a few months to see if they work.
- When a blogging strategy shows positive signs, direct your resources more towards it
- If you don't see any positive results anywhere, try directing your energy to a different set of strategies in this guide (after your 3-6 month testing window)
Remember that no matter how you cut it… It takes real time to build a successful blog.
Your blog isn't a failure if it takes months or even years to reach the traffic and revenue numbers you hope to one day. Plant the seeds today, work hard to promote your blog, and you will reap the rewards in the months and years to come.
